EXCLUSIVE : What’s in a Name? – Is this the real reason the controversial, high profile Stewart/Stuart Halliday appointment was suddenly dropped by Wirral Council?

We have been made aware that the attached four invoices (see below) , each referring to Forge House Associates Ltd and including an amount claimed for VAT, were dated AFTER the company was compulsorily dissolved by Companies House (first Gazette notice 10 July 2018; final Gazette notice 25 September 2018).

The invoices relates to work to support the “Wirral Growth Company” and includes the company number 10306493.

21 October: £16,189.50

16 November 2018: £15,152.63

14 December 2018: £16,333.30

11 January 2019: £9,600

So far, so familiar – for as we know from the BIG/ISUS/Working Neighbourhoods debacle Wirral Council don’t seem to concern themselves with the status or personnel of companies when it comes to distributing public money.

So what’s the big deal here?

Well it may interest you to know that there were 2 directors of Forge House Associates, an Elizabeth Stead and one… Stuart Halliday.

On 3rd October 2018 a new company, “Forge House Associates Lincs” was incorporated, this time with just Elizabeth Stead as the sole director, although Stuart Halliday owns 50% shares in the company (Company number 11602174).

However the now dissolved Forge House Associates continued to invoice the Council up until January 2019 when the “financial irregularities” were brought to the attention of the Council. Could this have been the route via which Halliday’s consultancy fees ( circa £4K a week!) were paid prior to his short lived appointment as the new Director of Housing and Economic Growth?

We understand that the HMRC and Companies House are now investigating and under the circumstances we think it is reasonable to assume that this could be the reason that Stewart / Stuart was dropped by the Council .

After persistent rumours we have also been made aware that Martin Liptrot – from ‘Wirral Well Made’ , which from what we can gather is the PR arm of the Wirral Growth Company – has also allegedly been removed from his post with immediate effect. As Wirral Council are currently on lockdown about this alleged departure we don’t know if the two matters are related. However when we get more information – and we will – we’ll let you know.

And so with the departure of Brian Bailey, and now Stewart Halliday, this will result in yet further delays to Wirral’s beleaguered and long overdue Local Plan. Surely now we could have hoped that the Council would bring in a new Director of Housing and Economic Growth who would have a strong background in, well, housing and economic growth and, as he is the man to bring forward the Local Plan, a thorough understanding of national planning policy. Apparently the man to now take forward the Local Plan is to be Paul Satoor a man who has a “strong background in organisational transformation, human resources and organisational development”.

The Halliday affair just gets more and more murky if that is possible
In a few weeks Wirral Council, pleading an acute shortage of money, will, no doubt be levying yet another big increase in Council Tax.
In the light of the sums demanded on the invoices, £15,000 for a months work plus travelling expenses, you can only wonder what excuses they will give for a rise.
We will also be required to contribute towards another layer of bureaucracy, namely the Metropolitan Mayor.

The old adage is that we “Get the politicians we deserve.”
What the Hell have we ever done here on the Wirral?
We get out of control, lavishly paid, senior staff and a bunch of amateur Councillors playing at politicians.

It is quite amazing that as the pot of Deceit, Corruption, Intrigue, and Mismanagement, gets stirred the murky mess that is “Wirral Borough Governance” reveals a group of familiar names either sliding off into nowhere even becoming ingredients in another authority cauldron of disgust. Could it be that those so deeply involved in such bad behaviour for many years and of course have prior knowledge that it all coming to an explosive culmination are jumping ship as rats are known to do.

And we think the waters of the River Mersey are murky! Wirraleaks please continue with your revelations and hopefully the electorate of the Wirral will see the light of day (but I’m not holding out any great hopes!!)

I read this article with great interest. I worked in the Transformation team and when IR35 came into effect April 2016, all contractors had to move over to umbrella companies and could not work as a limited company. This is because the roles we undertook could be done by a council employee.

There was obviously an internal agreement somewhere, by someone to allow Stewart to go against the HR decision and allow Stewart to continue as a limited company.

I would suspect that getting an honest reply from Wallasey Town Hall will be impossible.
The senior occupants of Fantasy Towers are not noted for their transparency or honesty no matter how much they preach it.

But isn’t the point is that he was allowed to get away with it?
Where’s the scrutiny? Where’s the oversight? Where’s the accountability?
Who’s signing the pay cheques? In Wirral’s it’s a case of Mr Armstrong won’t you please stand up!

A fully-evidenced complaint was made to York City Council’s Internal fraud investigators – Veritau – two years ago. By me. Concerning a huge, six-figure alleged fraud, involving Stewart Halliday.

Nothing was EVER done. My phone never rang.

Meanwhile, they pull out all the stops to go after the small fry e.g. benefit cheats, then go large in the local media about how wonderful and indispensable they must be.

It’s a SCAM that is ongoing. Halliday, the ready protection he’s received and the jobs he breezes into is just a very small, inconclusive sign of it. The true symptoms will run FAR deeper and connect to a spiders web of similar SCAMS, set up across the country and done to purloin £billions in public cash.

Very sorry if I sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I am. And with good reason.

Surely HMRC should be asking questions how a delisted company can charge VAT without being vat registered surely this is fraud?. Surely feeble Eric should never employed this Shyster in the first place knowing what went on in York.

Jonathan it is fraud.with Vat this is criminal.
Truly the vat office should make an example of these publicity pirates. If it was done inadvertently then what is and was the quality of their work for WBC.Even if inadvertent a heavy penalty should be levied on the individuals for using a defunct vat number. The line must be held.

J.H.
Robinson knew exactly what had gone on in York because I told him so in a personal e.mail.
I gave him the details of the exposure in York Press of the hitherto concealed internal report which castigated Halliday (who refused to cooperate)
His reply was that “all the necessary checks had been carried out” and he could see no reason not to sanction Halliday`s lavishly paid consultancy.
Maybe, if you spend all day with the stink of corruption in your nostrils you can not smell it even when it is brought to your attention.

Let the authorities thrash this one out but as an ex VAT inspector this isn’t looking good for Mr Halliday, he’s going to need a very good lawyer and I would say so will you Wirral and Leaky. Will await with interest on the outcome of this fraudulent activity

Gentlemen this serious situation has been brought to my attention by Wirral leaks about the danger of microwave radiation from smart meters & the new lights being install which are equipped with 5g masts incorporated on the lights which pulse at 190000 a day. This is a serious cancer threat and can cause sleep reprevation as well as any other health threats. The council & power companies must answer these serious threats and stop this health threats.

Scroll down and click onto the 3 three http websites to see the damage this microwave radiation can cause. I am really worried about this serious risk to the nations health. From Jonathan Hardaker a concerned resident 01516083228.